But That's My Favourite Mug Steve

The Horn, St Albans

with Safe House and Miss It All

Date: 22nd August 2026

Weight: 18’6

Height: 5’7

The Horn is, has always been, and will always be, one of my favourite venues to play. Partly because it’s an iconic landmark of independent music that has survived for decades, largely thanks to the passion and nous of promoter Luke Hinton and Juicebox Live. In fact, just the day before this gig, Luke became part-owner of the venue, preserving it as a live music venue and saving it from the evils of Gastropubitis.

But if I’m honest, I also love The Horn for its proximity to H&H, a kebab shop that produces the greatest chicken wraps known to man, woman, or children. There is no better late-night meal in the world, as evidenced by the gigantic queue that forms outside the shop every Friday and Saturday night. What makes it so good? One member of Safe House suggests that it’s secretly human meat, and honestly I wouldn’t be shocked. Surprised, yes, but not shocked. They must be doing something different, and as long as I have plausible deniability I’ll continue to risk it.

On this particular occasion (spoiler alert), there will be no H&H for our hero, due to cashpoint malfunctions and their staunch refusal to take any form of electronic payment. Alas.

The Horn feels like a hometown show, even though technically it’s a next-door-to-hometown show. But it’s a 20-minute uber ride and I have enough friends coming to know that, while I won’t be selling the place out, I won’t disgrace myself either. A smattering of friends (and one musically-relevant ex-girlfriend) will make the trip, and the evening will end in lots of laughter over too many drinks. All in the spirit of supporting independent venues, of course.

Sound Check at The Horn

Sound check passes without a hitch, and I’m quietly delighted to see that it’s Bill on the desk. He’s seen more bands at The Horn than I’ve had dinners of any temperature, and was sound man for my first show here some 22 years ago. Does he remember me? Does he bollocks.

Most of my previous Horn experiences have been as part of a band, or at least with artists I already knew and loved. Both Sonic Boom Six and The King Blues were happy to answer questions and share stories with me pre-gig, while my last visit here was with the uber-talented Natsuma who I knew quite well. But tonight, it’s just me. The other bands are off for pre-gig food, so I grab my first beer of the evening and sit in the green room reading Chris Jericho’s second book for the umpteenth time. Who says 38-year-olds can’t live a rock and roll lifestyle, hmm?

(Pictured: Chris Jericho, not Miss It All)

Miss It All (band)

Miss It All are a trio of much-younger-than-me folk who play what I’d term “crunchy shoegaze”, switching seamlessly between ethereal guitar tones and a rocky, energetic edge. Their guitarist doesn’t cut his strings (call me old fashioned, I prefer neatly trimmed), making them dance around like the inflatable men you see outside used car dealerships. This is distracting to begin with, but hey, I’m old, so it wouldn’t be the first “cool new thing” to pass me by!

Nevertheless, after a song or two I’m lost in the music, intricate licks that sound vaguely 1975-esque meeting punky interludes, and one fantastic spot of crowd work where a song pauses for a surprising conversation about Manchester By The Sea. I can’t pretend shoegaze will ever be my preference for live shows as my poor AuDHD brain needs more movement to be fully immersed, but these three do it well, keep it interesting, and are clearly a very tightly-rehearsed unit. I hope to see them again at some point, and that’s always a good sign!

Safe House (Band)

It’s fair to call this an eclectic night, as my solo acoustic set and Miss It All’s melodic rock are followed by symphonic metal. Safe House are one of those bands who are an absolute joy to soundcheck with. Friendly and funny to be around, professional and no-nonsense when it comes to the technical side of things. The half-song previews made me excited to see their set, and it didn’t disappoint. Fiercely distorted bass, intricate fretwork, pounding rhythms and genuinely phenomenal vocals combined into a beautifully crafted and powerful half-hour. At the risk of making lazy comparisons (largely because I don’t know many symphonic metal bands), they bring Evanescence vibes (sans the faux-macho rap of Wake Me Up of course), with a side order of Within Temptation.

You know it’s an impressive set when your more… let’s call them “mellow” friends (who, if asked, would probably list Offspring and Foo Fighters as metal bands) are dancing along to metal. Consider me a newly-converted Safe House fan, and I’m excited to see how far they go.

But That’s My Favourite Mug Steve (Me)

But what of my own set, I hear you ask? I’m quietly pleased with it. Between intro and ending the audience has at least doubled, so my voice must be doing something right. It’s a joy to bust out the old songs again, although after almost a decade it’s probably time to write some new ones. A handful of lyrics that were charming when sung by a lovestruck teenager take on darker undertones at my age!

That being said, the 3 or 4 songs that I know in my heart are genuinely good all go down well. Parachutes never fails to produce a singalong, The Best Suggestion gets several nodding heads of approval, but my slightly reworked version of Vitriol suffers from technical issues. Always replace the fucking battery in your guitar, you wombat. No excuses.

I do have a good song prepared in the event of an encore, but when Bill informs me that my battery is going I err on the side of swiftness. The crowd are treated to an unrehearsed version of Tenacious D’s Lee to close out the set. Was it Plan A? No. Did it work? Yes. Yes it did.

It’s hard to know exactly how I feel at the end of it. Pleased the gig went well, hungry for more (gigs and chicken rolls), but annoyed about the battery and EXTRA annoyed that I didn’t get around to posting any socials beforehand, or having any songs available to the outside world. That’s a missed opportunity that I can’t afford to fumble again.

But I’m back. The twin goals of releasing a solo album and playing at Brixton Academy* are set firmly in my sights, and this time I won’t be giving up until they’re achieved.

Let’s raise a glass my friends. To music, to belief, and to never being too old to chase a dream.

*Hammersmith Apollo would also tick this box, just in case any touring bands are looking for support acts!

SETLIST

1. That’s Right
2. Muppets
3. Just For Tonight
4. Parachutes
5. To Girl From Boy
6. Marches
7. The Best Suggestion
8. Vitriol
9. Lee (encore; Tenacious D cover)